Dead Battery

[flhtpi]

I had a day long bike ride planned with some of my Harley friends yesterday. I went out to start the bike and it turned over maybe once. The bike only has 1000 miles on it and I guess after sitting for five days and the 32 degress yesterday morning killed the battery. I know most people on here have the same problem. I guess I'll be purchasing a third battery tender. I put the bike on the charger and called my HD friends and said I'd be a little late. After 10 munites it started right up, only problem is my GI Pro is now dead. I had to remove power so it would reset. We had a good ride (9am - 6pm) but the weather maybe warmed up to only 43 degrees so it was a little cold. My Harley friends were impressed with the R3 except for it not starting.

 

[scot in exile]

Miles on the bike are irrelevant if not used to much the battery will die, I have never had a battery tender one of the perks of living in Florida.
How old is the bike? I am guessing only a couple of months with the mileage on it.
Once recharged it should be okay, you should have told your HD friends that you were giving them a head start.

 

[flhtpi]

It's just over two months old. It's been a sucky winter here!!!! Yea, head start, I like that.

 

[Molinoman]

Good one Dave....head start...Ha!

Dennis

57 dtg Dubai
58 dtg Home

 

[rocket31998]

Depending on how long your ride is, the HDs are going to need more of a headstart than that! You are lucky you don't live up north! We all need to scrap the stock battery and get an Odyssey 625!

 

[britman]

Going Odyssey

I am going with the Odyssey PC625 upgrade with the old FBG, My battery really drained down while the bike was in the shop for such an extended period. After going through the related threads here I also ordered the Odyssey 6AMP charger. Total investment of $180.00.

 

[HellFire]

These things DO NOT like cold weather when trying to start. Ridden every day in the summer they will start every time with a stock battery, but in the cold and started once a week.... even a battery tender won't cut the mustard. The Odyssey and Odyssey charger is the only real remedy I've seen for this. Now that I've stopped trying shortcuts and just did what the guys have been doing here on the site for years (PC625 and matching charger), it can sit for a month in below freezing temps and start first time, every time. There just isn't any way around it, I tried.

 

[britman]

These things DO NOT like cold weather when trying to start. Ridden every day in the summer they will start every time with a stock battery, but in the cold and started once a week.... even a battery tender won't cut the mustard. The Odyssey and Odyssey charger is the only real remedy I've seen for this. Now that I've stopped trying shortcuts and just did what the guys have been doing here on the site for years (PC625 and matching charger), it can sit for a month in below freezing temps and start first time, every time. There just isn't any way around it, I tried.

HF

The Odysessy should arrive by the weekend, so I am hopeing to do the install then. Did you do the battery box modification or just shave the fins for fitting. Just curious?

 

[HellFire]

HF

The Odysessy should arrive by the weekend, so I am hopeing to do the install then. Did you do the battery box modification or just shave the fins for fitting. Just curious?

I did the box mod just to be sure that it would sit as low as possible. If you decide to do the box, you will need extensions and swivels for the sockets to get to some of the bolts. I think when Triumph builds a Rocket, the 1st thing on the assembly line is the battery box ... then they build the bike around it. It's WAY over engineered. I think it's 10 gauge steel too, I had to use a torch, sledge hammer and anvil to bend it. It's also powder coated, so after you hammer on it, the paint will have flaked off and you will need to spray paint the bare metal.
The charger you ordered is a must, I tried to get away with a tender Jr. ... didn't work worth a **** on the PC625, just not enough voltage.

 

[TriumPhil]

My $.02... Ithink that shaving the cooling fins off of the bottom of the Odyssey is a very bad idea. they were designed that way for a good reason, i.e., to aid and abet heat dissipation. I'd rather not find out the hard way that the battery's design and engineering is intelligent!